RV Weatherbird II AVVEX 1998
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Weatherbird II (320G) |
| Cruise identifier | AVVEX 1998 |
| Cruise period | 1998-08-21 — 1998-09-06 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | St. George's, Bermuda |
| Port of return | St. George's, Bermuda |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | This work was carried out over two legs. The first leg was 21-24 Aug 1998. The second leg was 04-06 September 1998.
The autonomous vehicle validation experiment (AVVEX 1998) had the following objectives: a) demonstrate an AUTOSUB mission of 250km profiling to 400m; b) demonstrate ease of integration of commercial and experimental sensors into the AUV; c) demonstrate the gathering of multi-disciplinary data from an AUV in a number of survey modes and the added value of the AUV data; d) demonstate the use of an AUV as an adjunct to a time series station (Hydrostation 'S'); e) verify that such operations could become routine and cost effective. |
| Chief scientist | Nick Millard (Southampton Oceanography Centre) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Atlantic Ocean |
| Specific | Waters adjacent to Bermuda |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 4 Description: CTD stations in support of above |
| Subsurface temperature and salinity measurements | Quantity: number of dives = 11 Description: From CTD and other sensors on the Autosub-1 AUV. Also, engineering performance data. |
| Transparency (eg transmissometer) | Quantity: number of dives = 11 Description: Multi-wavelength optical upwelling and downwelling irradiance and IR backscatter |
| Optics (eg underwater light levels) | Quantity: number of dives = 11 Description: Multi-wavelength optical upwelling and downwelling irradiance and IR backscatter |
| Current profiler (eg ADCP) | Quantity: number of dives = 11 Description: From CTD and other sensors on the Autosub-1 AUV. Also, engineering performance data. |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of dives = 11 Description: From CTD and other sensors on the Autosub-1 AUV. Also, engineering performance data. |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of dives = 4 Description: Turbulence measurements using Aerofoil probe and temperature microstructure |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Nitrate | Quantity: number of dives = 11 Description: From CTD and other sensors on the Autosub-1 AUV. Also, engineering performance data. |
| pH | Quantity: number of dives = 11 Description: From CTD and other sensors on the Autosub-1 AUV. Also, engineering performance data. |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Quantity: number of dives = 11 Description: From CTD and other sensors on the Autosub-1 AUV. Also, engineering performance data. |
